Chromium-based Browsers Continue to Proliferate

Quick, how old is Google's Chrome browser? You may be surprised to hear that the browser debuted as recently as December of 2008 (although a pre-release build was available a couple of months before that). Just a few short years later, Chrome is a formidable browser that is threatening to overtake Firefox's market share. The core of Chrome, Chromium, is also open source, though, and a number of different offshoots of Chromium are available. InfoWorld is out with a good assessment of these alternative flavors, and we've covered a few here at OStatic, too.

SRware Iron is a Chromium-based browser that combines the inherent speed of its open source core with lockdown privacy. Privacy and ad blocking are its strong points. If you haven't looked into it and private browsing matters to you, you should definitely check it out. You can get the browser for Windows, Mac OS or Linux here, and look into our coverage of it here.

Meanwhile definitely check out InfoWorld's exploration of Chromium-based browsers, which include:

 CRPortable - which packages Chromium in PortableApps format, so that you can efficiently run the browser from a USB key.

Comodo Dragon - a Chromium-based browser with some interface enhancements, and security enhancements from security firm Comodo.

RockMelt -  a browser based on Chromium that integrates social networking features.

CoolNovo - a Chromium-based browser that adds features such as mouse gesturing, superdrag, IE tabs, and more.

As is also true with the open source Android mobile OS, Google has delivered a lot with its young browser in a very short amount of time. And, the alternative versions of Chrome based on the open source core of the browser will continue to proliferate. It's worth keeping track of these.